2023 was the year we finally explored some of the beautiful area in the Northern Rockies, and we plotted a two week trip that would take us to Glacier, Grand Tetons, and Yellowstone NPs, plus a few stops in between. We started and ended in Bozeman in June, and after collecting our rental car, we began the trek towards Glacier NP. We both prefer to keep the daily driving to under four hours, so we decided on the following itinerary that would give us three days in each of the parks, and allowed for some interesting (and not so interesting) rest stops along the route.

Missoula was a fun town and we stayed one night at the Wren, which was quirky and comfortable. There are lots of great restaurants and bars in Missoula. We had some delicious food at The Camino, fabulous craft cocktails at the Montgomery Distillery, and cold beers at Cranky Sams. On our drive to Glacier, we stopped in the town of Whitefish, which is very charming, and had a hearty lunch at Blackstar BrewPub. Whitefish has more accommodation and eating choices if Coram is lacking options.

Glacier NP:
This park was a great start to our Northern Rockies adventure. The main attraction in Glacier is the Going to the Sun Road, which typically opens at the end of June through October. GTTS requires a car permit, which you can reserve online about a month before the date you plan to go. If you aren’t able to get a reservation for GTTS, don’t fret! Any reservation inside the park will give you access to GTTS, including kayaking excursions, reservations at the lodge, or a guided tour.

Because we were arriving in mid-June before GTTS was open, we decided to try a Red Bus tour of Huckleberry Mountain instead, and a kayaking excursion on Lake McDonald. To our surprise and delight, GTTS opened three days before our arrival (the earliest in 18 years!) and our Red Bus tour was changed. GTTS is an absolute MUST visit attraction in Glacier Park… the Red Bus drivers (called Jammers) are unbelievably knowledgeable and entertaining, and you will definitely not want to be driving while you’re trying to take in the scenery, which is magnificent. Many people find GTTS to be one of the most exhilarating, white-knuckle drives in the US.

We had wet, rainy weather during our three days in Glacier, so we were unable to take in some of the many hiking trails, or do much exploration of the lakes. However, if you decide to hike or camp, it is imperative that you take a bear safety demonstration offered for free by the Park Rangers. Grizzly and black bear sightings are frequent and it is best not to be caught off-guard should you find yourself sharing the trail with a bear. Bear spray can also be rented by the day and is strongly advised.

Although most of the GTTS tours end at Logan Pass, if you have a permit for the day, we recommend continuing your drive to Saint Mary’s entrance, or at least to Saint Mary’s Lake. We were totally awestruck by the sheer beauty of Saint Mary’s Lake, and vowed to spend some time kayaking or boating on a return visit. We also stopped twice at Lake McDonald Lodge to have a drink and take in the views around that lake.

During our three days in Glacier, we stayed at Under Canvas in Coram. This was our 3^rd UC stay, and was a beautiful camp site. Our tent was surrounded by dense trees and we felt alone in the woods. A short walk to the main camp was a food truck serving hot food and beer, and for those wanting to prepare their own food, there are grills near the lobby tent and campfire circles. We found some fun places to eat and drink in Coram, with the Stonefly Lounge as a highlight.

It was time to make the drive to our base in Grand Tetons. To break up the 500-mile drive, we stayed one night at Quinn’s Hot Springs resort (which was better than I expected) and another night in Butte. The springs at Quinn’s were clean and in good shape, and the onsite restaurant, Harwood House, was surprisingly good. We stayed in a standard room, which was comfortable (but a little dated). We selected Butte for a second night because of the better hotel and restaurant options, but otherwise would have skipped another stay in Butte.

Grand Tetons:

There is a lot to do and see in the area between Jackson Hole and the Tetons, but hotel options can be pricey and underwhelming. We opted for an AirBnB in a town called Victor, ID, which is just 25 miles to the bustling town of Jackson, WY, and an hour to the Snake River Overlook and Mormon Row. Once we checked in to our cabin, we were off to the adorable town of Victor for groceries so we could have a home cooked meal for the first night in a week.

The next morning, we were eager to see the park, and immediately set out to Mormon Row, where we got our first full view of the Tetons. We stopped for some pics at Snake River Overlook, then made our way to Colter Bay for a picnic lunch and a look at the harbor. Along the way we finally saw our first bison and elk. We turned around at Colter Bay and headed to Jenny Lake to take a walk around the paths lining the lake and Cottonwood Creek. There’s a camp store/giftshop at Jenny Lake visitor center as well as bathroom facilities. Guided hikes are offered for those interested in getting more immersed. We ended the afternoon with a quick pint at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar in Jackson which was a fun place.

The next day we started in Teton Village with the intent of taking the gondolas to the mountain peaks, but the price tag was so steep we decided to skip it. We learned that if you make a reservation at Piste Mountain Bistro, it includes the lift ride at no additional cost. The restaurant was booked that day, but we will definitely plan to do that on our next visit! Instead, we sat at the Four Seasons outdoor patio and watched the bikers coming and going through the bike park, which looked really fun!

We made our way down to Jackson to continue the previous days’ sightseeing and find a spot for a late lunch. Most of the action is happening around the Jackson Town Square, and we were able to find pay parking about a block off the square. This is your best place to find antler souvenirs, get your picture taken with a bear, or shop for apparel, crafts, and high-end art. Other activities in Jackson include an Alpine slide, the Cowboy Coaster, the National Museum of Wildlife Art, and the National Elk Refuge. For food, we decided on Bin 22, which was excellent and we were able to get some great wines for the rest of our trip.

Yellowstone:

Driving from Victor to the south entrance of Yellowstone was about two hours and allowed us to take another final look at the Grand Tetons. We were en route to our accommodations in West Yellowstone, so we only made a few quick stops inside the park. I was anxious to see the Grand Prismatic Spring so we stopped there for a few pics as well as the Fountain Paint Pot trailhead.

We arrived at Under Canvas West Yellowstone at 4:30 in the afternoon, and before long we were settled in to our safari tent and heading to the camp restaurant for dinner. This is the only UC we’ve stayed at that had a full restaurant on site. The food was better than average, and the restaurant has a good ambience and great views.

The next two days we spent exploring the main loop of the park, starting at the west entrance, heading east to the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and Hayden Valley on one day, and an evening visit to Old Faithful on our last full day in the park. The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone was really eyepopping (take the South Rim Drive), and we saw some of the most bizarre and otherworldly sights in this part of the park. The trail around the Mud Volcano was intriguing, with the Dragons Mouth Spring a highlight. Hayden Valley is the best place to see bison herds, and we were treated to many encounters. We saw lots of elk too.

On our last day in Yellowstone, we ran in to a huge traffic jam trying to enter the park around 1PM, which had us sitting stationary in our car for an hour. As soon as we were able, we turned the car around and spent the day at the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center, which exceeded expectations and we would definitely recommend.

We made a second attempt to enter the park around 5PM and this time we had no traffic. We were almost to the loop road when we saw our first wild bear of the trip, safely observed from across the river. We doubled back to the Grand Prismatic Spring, this time approaching from the Fairy Falls trailhead, hiking to the overlook for a better view. Next, we headed over to the Old Faithful visitor center in time to grab a front row seat for an evening eruption. It’s everything we hoped it would be and the crowd let out a great cheer as the geyser began to blow. The NPS has a great app that allows you to download maps of the parks, and in Yellowstone, it provides the time predictions for the major geyser eruptions so you won’t miss anything.

Our visit to the Northern Rockies and beyond was memorable and gave us a renewed appreciation for some of the beauty of the United States, and left us wanting to explore even further. We feel like we spent just the right amount in each park for a first visit, and not too much time sitting in the car. Each park had a decidedly different feel: Glacier with its magnificent gorges, vistas, lakes and waterfalls, Grand Tetons with its majestic peaks, and Yellowstone with its Martian landscape, thermal springs, mud pots and geysers. We only just scratched the surface of this dramatic region!

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